These details, released by authorities late Wednesday, all pointed to one thing. The saga that had gripped the nation, the kidnapping of a kindergartner named Ethan, was just about over.

"Our main goal was to make sure that Ethan was brought home safe and we did that. It is miraculous," said Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson, who has been the face of the operation since Ethan's bus driver was killed and the youngster was dragged to the underground bunker on January 29.